This is exactly why I never try to get too excited about recruits until you actually start seeing them play.
I like this pickup a great deal -- it's a fine start. But it safe to say that he won't make a major impact right away.
Bryce Golden to Pitt
- Thread starter DiehardPanther
- Start date
This is exactly why I never try to get too excited about recruits until you actually start seeing them play.
I like this pickup a great deal -- it's a fine start. But it safe to say that he won't make a major impact right away.
I love how some of the "pumpers" of propaganda on Twitter make anything positive with Stallings like we are UNC, and have made Golden out to be the next Caleb Swanigan. That gets a bit over the top, yet amusing. However, news have been so depressing for so long, I think most of us were legitimately (and happily) surprised on this as we it seems like we would never have good news again.
I said this 5 years ago, and it fits now. You just said it also. Who knows? We have seen kids ranked in this range do absolutely nothing at this level, we have seen kids ranked in this range be All Conference players.
As most of us agree, it is good news and it is a start.
We've also had big recruiting wins like Dante Taylor turn into busts. I'm constantly dumbfounded that people pay so much attention to recruiting and don't talk nearly as much about player development.
I don't get you guys on the negatives about this guy - as a more casual follower of the BB team, this commit seems like great news to me.
Why the "Don't expect him to contribute right away" knock?
I'm just curious - who was the last Pitt BB player to have a big impact as a Freshman? Even Steven Adams didn't have a big impact, certainly not on the offensive end of the court, IMHO... But that's another story.
Go Pitt.
Why the "Don't expect him to contribute right away" knock?
I'm just curious - who was the last Pitt BB player to have a big impact as a Freshman? Even Steven Adams didn't have a big impact, certainly not on the offensive end of the court, IMHO... But that's another story.
Go Pitt.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And ... to add to it ... recruiting wins mean "nothing." The only wins that count are the wins on the court.
However, with the internet, recruiting "wins" have almost become separate sports in themselves.
What it shows is that these rankings are just a guide ( or guess ) and that no one knows how these kids respond to a quicker ,stronger , more talented level of competition . 75 ,123 , 98 do you really think there's much difference in any of these kids ?
Ps ..maybe there's light at the end of the tunnel after all .
One flag about Taylor early on is for how highly he was ranked, many of the big powers didn't seem to come as hard for him as they were Thomas Robinson and some others. Secondly, if you look at the classes, Dejuan Blair's class was incredible, with so many great talents part of that class. Dante Taylor's class really lacked top end talent.
The problem with recruiting Damon Wilson wasn't necessarily Damon Wilson. The problem was the other two in the class were Nix and Milligan. If they had 3 Damon Wilson type recruits, maybe 1 or even two work out.
As noted, it's a good start and it would be nice to add another 3, 4, or 5 of these types of kids. That's how this roster needs to be rebuilt.
As noted, it's a good start and it would be nice to add another 3, 4, or 5 of these types of kids. That's how this roster needs to be rebuilt.
I still remember this board in an uproar when Dixon signed some unknown foreigner with zero offers named Steven Adams.
As I've said in a few other threads recently, I don't care nearly as much about recruiting as I do in commitment and development of guys on the roster. I don't think this 2017 class is particularly good, but if Stallings and his staff bring them in and make them better over their careers, that's what is important. That is what is most concerning to me about the way last season and this offseason went.
Recruiting rankings are a decent guide but its a crapshoot outside of the top 50 or so. Golden looks very solid with a ton of upside. Trying to compare to past players based on ranking is silly.
Wasn't Adams ranked as a 5 star recruit? I don't remember any major negativity towards the Adams signing.
Agree that it would be the kind of impact class we need, but that seems to be hoping for an awful lot. I don't follow recruiting rankings very closely, but Diehard says Golden is ranked identical to Mike Young. I believe that was Dixon's highest ranked recruit in a couple of years, and Pitt was a tournament team. With where Pitt is now, if Stallings could get 1 or 2 more like Golden plus two top 100 guys I'd be ecstatic.
Or was this a subliminal message to trash Stallings if it doesn't happen?
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Calling Dante a bust isn't fair.
He was a McDonald's aa and won the skills contest.
He was a contributor- just didn't prove to be a star as we hoped
He was a McDonald's aa and won the skills contest.
He was a contributor- just didn't prove to be a star as we hoped
Eventually.
He was a complete unknown upon signing and people went apoplectic about taking a reach.
"Why the "Don't expect him to contribute right away" knock?"
Not a knock on the player himself he seems like a decent future contributor for the team. Rather, it is a knock on the situation Stallings created by running players off and creating discontent among both players and fans. As a result, there is a far far greater need for players who can at least produce decently, if not significantly, at the ACC level next season and the following one rather than a player who likely wont be able to do so until at least 3 seasons from now (and Stallings could be gone by then).
He wasn't a bust in the Epps sense, but I'd argue Zanna established himself as a much more meaningful piece than Taylor ever did.
Probably my memory. It wasn't too hard to feel at least moderately optimistic about Adams though, given his size.
Taylor was a solid 4 year backup Center. I'd LOVE to have players like Taylor. We haven't had a 5 of his "quality" in what seems like forever.
If course we expected much more from him but if this Golden kid turns out to be as good as Taylor, then that will be good.
Epps was a complete bust. He should have been given a 0 star rating. Taylor performed like a 3 Star as opposed to his 5 Star rating. Zanna was rated accurately.
Adams was a complete unknown when he committed in July, and was rated a top 50 player by September.
No you don't. You know why? Because IT NEVER HAPPENED!!! Adams was a 7'0 so first of all, that was a draw and from early on he was regarded as a big time recruit then came here for some international tourney then became a top 10 recruit. But no one was bitching. Sorry.
Diehard is using 24/7s rankings and I was using Verbal Commits,Agree that it would be the kind of impact class we need, but that seems to be hoping for an awful lot. I don't follow recruiting rankings very closely, but Diehard says Golden is ranked identical to Mike Young. I believe that was Dixon's highest ranked recruit in a couple of years, and Pitt was a tournament team. With where Pitt is now, if Stallings could get 1 or 2 more like Golden plus two top 100 guys I'd be ecstatic.
Or was this a subliminal message to trash Stallings if it doesn't happen?
If think Golden is either 123 or 127 on Verbal Commits and I think Manigualt was 138. So that's why I was saying the two were similar. Their offers are very similar based on what's listed on Verbal Commits.
So it's safe to say that his ranking is somewhere between 75 and 127 which is solid for sure.
Still I think we were hoping for 1-2 more immediate impact guys (top 40ish) and I'm not optimistic these are in the cards.
Believe it or not, Damon Wilson (top 80) was absolutely Dixon's highest ranked recruit since Steve Adams (top 10) and James Robinson (top 60).
You don't have it quite right.
Steve absolutely was NOT regarded by the fan base when he first came here. No one was excited basically because we had little to go on. Even I was a bit underwhelmed. Not many were bitching either, except a few of typically most critical because he wasn't a top recruit from typical channels.
I remember writing Saturday night dribbles and saying something along the lines of getting a bottle rocket instead of fireworks, as the commitment came just before the 4th of July.
All there was to go on was a 30 second video clip that surfaced a few days later of Steve with his NZ team. It didn't show much but this clip was enough to impress none other than @17-15 who made a post saying he saw greatness in Steve as a "30 second" scout.
Later in the summer, Steve attended an event against other top USA players in Los Angeles I believe, and faired very well and then we all got excited.
But on the whole, I'd say most reaction was no opinion, to one ever so slightly more negative than positive.
Addtionally, there's been a slight bit more initial enthusiasm about the signing of Golden than there initially was for Adams.
It's always a crap shoot, but when the recruit is ranked in the top 100, at least the dice are loaded a bit more in your favor.
I'm giving Stallings credit for finally doing something positive for Pitt. He still has a monumental task on front of him, thanks to his own doing. And I'm still not convinced he gives a turd. But this is a good start.
I'm giving Stallings credit for finally doing something positive for Pitt. He still has a monumental task on front of him, thanks to his own doing. And I'm still not convinced he gives a turd. But this is a good start.
This is GOOD NEWS and those belittling this simply aren't being objective . If your going to give him sh.t when things go bad give him credit when something good happens or don't expect anyone to listen seriously to you . This is something good .
Maybe "uproar" was disingenuous. You are correct that the tenor was more shock and confusion rather than outright disappointment. The negative reaction was mostly due to the method being so unconventional.
It is amusing that people completely deny it though.
When Steve was first recruited many had not heard of him and questioned the pick, but there was not real negativity. Steve eventually became a five star recruit and people complained that he did not play like it as a freshman.
